Bound Ambition
by MaullarMaullar
Summary: What if Dizzy were a normal human? Bad stuff, that's what, and Dizzy's about to find out why.


Bound Ambition By MaullarMaullar  
  
It was in the bathroom of the Mayship, the flagship of the skyfaring Jellyfish Pirates, that the thought came to Dizzy.  
  
"Hey, May?" the pretty, angelic young woman asked, running a fine brush across her broad wings.  
  
"Mu?" the short, slightly sleepy-looking girl to her side responded, not bothering to remove the toothbrush from her mouth.  
  
Dizzy accepted this answer nonetheless, and continued to talk, her long, sleek, jet black tail sweeping the tile. Her reddish-brown eyes darted toward and away from May intermittently. "I've been thinking... what if I wasn't a Gear?"  
  
"Mmm?"  
  
"I mean... no wings, no tail, no special powers... just a human. Then people wouldn't hate me for who I am... I wouldn't have to constantly hide from bounty hunters... I'd live a normal life, you know?"  
  
"Mmmmmph."  
  
Dizzy put the brush down. "Well... I guess I'll go to bed now. Good night, May!"  
  
"Fmmr."  
  
Dizzy untied the yellow ribbons in her soft blue hair, allowing it to fall to her waist, and carefully put the ribbons in her bedside drawer. She lay down in her bed and pulled the covers tightly around her trim body. Maybe it was just a warm night, or maybe it was a new comforter, but Dizzy found herself settling into sleep very quickly. Just before her last waking thought faded away, she thought about the question she'd asked May about that evening...  
  
Dizzy opened her eyes not to the sight of her room, but of the forest, the one place more familiar to her. She pulled herself out of the grass of the clearing and almost immediately fell forward. She usually never lost her balance, but now it felt like she was missing some weight on her back...  
  
The Gear looked down at herself and almost cried out in surprise. Her wings and tail weren't there. No trace of them remained at all! Everything else was still there--her arms, her legs, her breasts--but not the features that distinguished her as a Gear. She quickly searched her subconscious and found no sign of the "guardians" who inhabited her wings. She was a normal human girl--a beautiful girl, with blue hair and red eyes, but a human girl nonetheless. She wondered what she was doing outside, with her hair styled and her sailor shirt and shorts on. Then she pondered the ramifications of her transformation for a minute, and then she decided it'd be better to think about those things at home. Not sure how to get back to the airborne Mayship without wings, she walked down the nearest trail and looked into the sky as the trail became a quiet country road.  
  
"Hey, you!" came a rough voice, breaking the silence.  
  
"Hm?" Dizzy looked to the direction from which she heard the stranger speak, and quickly realized that she was surrounded by large men wielding weapons and looking none too wholesome.  
  
"You're one of those Jellyfish Pirates! There's a huge bounty for you!" spat the leader, brandishing a gun.  
  
"Ummm... I think you're mistaken..." Dizzy looked around frantically. There was no escape, and without her wings she couldn't fight... could she?  
  
Her question was answered as her assailants grabbed her. She struggled mightily, but too many strong hands held her, and without her special powers she didn't have a chance. Dizzy felt her arms being pulled behind her. Her assailants wrapped some twine several times around her wrists and tied it off so she couldn't use her hands. The bonds were uncomfortable and the rope dug harshly into her tender skin. She tried to complain, but no sooner did her mouth open than a balled-up handkerchief was stuffed in. Before she could attempt to spit it out, a cloth tied over her mouth secured it.  
  
"Mmmmmph! MMMMMMPH!" Dizzy protested, pulling at her ropes to no avail.  
  
"Shut the hell up! You're still worth your dead weight in gold, you know!"  
  
"Mrphle..." Dizzy was intimidated enough to shut up for the time being. She felt something sharp poke her in the back, and she began to march down the road, surrounded by her captors.  
  
"Man, do we have the devil's luck or what? Finding one of them just standing around."  
  
"We don't have the bounty yet. Keep an eye out."  
  
"Hey, she's kind of pretty... you don't think they'd mind if they got her in a little--"  
  
"MMMMMMMPH!" Dizzy's fear of being violated overwhelmed her fear of being killed, and she broke away from the group and ran as fast as she could. She didn't get very far before a rifle butt struck her in the back of the head.  
  
When the world stopped spinning, Dizzy felt cold metal around her ankles. She looked at her feet to see heavy cuffs connected by a thick chain about a foot long. "Mmmmmph...?"  
  
"Hey! Don't just lie there all day!" One bounty hunter yanked Dizzy to her feet by her shirt, almost ripping the garment off her body. Despite Dizzy's muffled protests, the party continued forward, Dizzy shuffling along at knifepoint.  
  
Dizzy wanted to collapse. It felt like she had been forced to walk for hours. The ropes around her wrists chafed and her gag was making her jaw ache. She stumbled every few steps because of her leg irons, and she didn't like the looks some of the bounty hunters were giving. "Mmmmph, mmmmph..." she pleaded, although she was well aware nobody could understand her. A minute later, though, they stopped. "Mmmmph?" Dizzy looked around, confused, and saw a wooden shack to her side. One of the bounty hunters threw the door open, revealing the dark, threadbare, musty interior. A hard shove sent Dizzy crashing into the filthy floor, which creaked under the impact. "MMMMMMPH!"  
  
"Shut up and stay in there. We'll drag you down to the bounty office first thing in the morning." The door slammed shut, and Dizzy heard the sound of a deadbolt being engaged.  
  
"Mmmmph..." the girl moaned to herself. Her body hurt all over. It was far too dark to see clearly, and even if she could see her restraints, how would she get out of them? She didn't know how to untie a knot, let alone without using her hands. And she had no idea what she could do about the shackles on her legs. Screaming for help was impossible with her mouth stuffed, and it would just attract the bounty hunters' attention anyway. Resigning in despair, she curled up as well as she could and began to cry.  
  
Dizzy perked up at the sound of her captors talking outside. "...Yeah, we know where to get the rest of them... they'll be ours for sure! Maybe we'll get an extra reward for getting them all at once..."  
  
"Mmmmmmmmmph!" Dizzy struggled frantically. She couldn't protect her friends without her powers, but if only she could escape, she might be able to warn them. Her bonds didn't even loosen, though, and as she heard the hunters' footsteps fade into the distance, she knew it was hopeless. Just as her tears started to flow again, an obnoxious beeping rang in her head. She couldn't locate the source of the noise...  
  
Dizzy sleepily groped for her clock radio. Pressing the snooze button, she sat up and rubbed her eyes for a second. She knew she'd had a dream that night, but couldn't quite remember what it was about. Oh well, she thought, it couldn't have been that important. The Gear walked off to the bathroom to start her day--wings, tail and all. 


End file.
